October 2019 | NRA Legal

Flirting, harassment and essence of the consent: Sexual harassment in the workplace

A close up of a woman's shoulder with a man's hand sitting on top of it.

Despite legal protections against sexual harassment existing for some time, it remains an ever present issue in the workplace. The commonality of sexual harassment may be because what constitutes “sexual harassment” is broader than what most likely comes to mind when individuals consider the expression. Inappropriate physical contact is one of the more obvious examples,…

What you need to know about the latest changes to the Workers’ Compensation scheme in Queensland

By Rebecca Goulter

a yellow triangle sign nailed onto a wooden post. The sign shows a stick figure slipping on something and is about to fall down.

Last week the Queensland Government passed new laws that will change the state’s Workers’ Compensation scheme by introducing some greater responsibilities on employers and insurers, and expanding the scope of coverage for the scheme. The Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 (Qld) proposes to adopt a number of recommendations from last…

Guilty as charged: when considering a criminal record might amount to discrimination

By Rebecca Goulter

a piece of paper with various finger prints on it - commonly seen when police need to collect fingerprints from suspects or criminals

The Federal Government has offered employers some clarity around recruiting applicants with criminal records, after the Australian Human Rights Commission (‘AHRC’) found that Suncorp discriminated against a job applicant with a record. The Australian Human Rights Commission Regulations 2019 (‘the new regulations’) [1], which commenced on 1 October 2019, have replaced the Australian Human Rights…

‘TikTok’ in the Workplace – A Ticking Time Bomb?

By Rebecca Goulter

a close up shot of someone's hand holding their phone with their right hand thumb hovering over the tik tok app on their phone.

Televisions have become flatter, we’ve moved from typewriters to laptops, and now mobile phones have become our everything-in-one device which dominates communication and even some people’s lives. A number of apps and online platforms have emerged to facilitate a purely digital means of interacting, such as Facebook and Instagram, and the hottest one of these…

Start the clock on dismissal claims

By Rebecca Goulter

A close up image of a right hand holding a silver stopwatch with their thumb on the top counter.

Whether it’s a quarrelsome employee, a serial underperformer, or a casualty of automation, the stress of dismissing an employee doesn’t end on their last day of employment. It’s not until 3 weeks (or 21 days) later, when the time limit to file a dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission expires can an employer experience…